Lyft driver speaks out after he said he was held at gunpoint, forced to drive 2 men to Miami Beach
An investigation is underway in Miami Beach after police said a rideshare driver was held at gunpoint by two men.
Miami Beach police said they responded to the 1400 block of Ocean Drive around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday after the rideshare driver said he picked up two men from outside the city and was forced to drive to the area.
Police said that responding officers quickly located the two men in the area, and one of them was taken into custody.
The second man then barricaded himself inside a building, and SWAT members arrived at the scene.
CBS News Miami spoke with the Lyft driver, Atilio Diego Bellanza.
The 33-year-old Bellanza said, "When I got there, I saw cops in the area, and two men showed up. They ran to my car, and I opened the door, and they lay down in the back. He passed a weapon to the middle. I felt a gun in my back. I tried to grab it. I was scared, and it was a bad situation."
He said, "I am very sad. My body hurts a lot from the nerves. I work 12 hours a day to maintain my family."
In court, CBS News Miami learned of new developments. A defense attorney said no weapon had been found and said there was a miscommunication because the Lyft driver speaks only Spanish and the two men speak only English.
The defendants, 22-year-old Ashton Montanez and 25-year-old Jefferson Mesidor, appeared before a judge in bond court. A police report said Mesidor was arrested right away in Miami Beach, and Montanez was arrested after the standoff.
They had been originally charged with kidnapping, but Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer said there was no probable cause for that charge, and charges were downgraded to resisting officers without violence. Bond for both men was set at $500 each.
There was also testimony in court that both men had paid for their fares, and there was a misunderstanding between the three men.
CBS News Miami asked Bellanza about the claim that there was no weapon, and he said, "It is confirmed. They did have a gun."
Before the developments in court, tourists who witnessed the SWAT take down spoke to CBS News Miami
The incident caught many people in the area by surprise, including a tourist who CBS News Miami also spoke with.
"We came back from dinner, and we weren't allowed back in," Ethan Sewall said. "It wasn't too scary. We saw a family get pulled out. They were more shook up. They were asleep. And they got pulled out by police. So, it's just been a long wait."
Another tourist described being scared as the incident was unfolding.
"I was pretty scared," Tierra Esquerre said. "I called my grandfather. I cried because when they pulled up with the guys in the truck, that was pretty intense. It was scary."